The True Ballad of Joanie and Chachi
by lifeisveryshortsoami
Summary: "You've given me the happiest days of my life." My version of the relationship between Joanie and Chachi. Starts with their first meeting and goes through the entire Happy Days series - and beyond.


Hiya, peeps! I know I don't usually write Happy Days stuff, but I've recently fallen in love with the show. If you've never seen it, you should watch it. Now.

Just a note: This story includes my idea of what may have happened the first time Joanie and Chachi met, walks you through most of the episodes before they started dating, and explains what happened during the last season of the show and one scene that takes place years later as well.

If you're one of my swac readers stumbling across this, I don't think you have to have seen Happy Days to understand it...You should be able to catch on just by reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

**The True Ballad of Joanie and Chachi**

Chachi 'Charles' Arcola had too many problems for a kid his age. Life was supposed to be fun and easy, filled with days of climbing trees, clowning around on the playground of the schoolyard, and using his 'Fonzarelli Power' to woo girls. Why did Chachi choose not to climb trees? He was too short to reach from branch to branch. How did he spend his recesses? Playing basketball alone while the taller boys practiced on the other side of the court. Was he able to use his 'Fonzarelli Power'? A few girls fell for it, but most of them brushed him off like he was nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing around their head.

"You have to be patient, Chach," Fonzie told him whenever Chachi complained. "You're still young. You have plenty of time to become cool!"

"How long did it take you?" Chachi asked one day.

"How long did it take me to do what?" Fonzie replied, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. He had been working on one of his cars when his younger cousin came into the garage.

"How long did it take you to become cool?"

Fonzie could not help himself - he had to laugh. When he caught Chachi's eye, he stopped right away, cleared his throat, and answered the question with honesty: "Are you kidding? I was _born_ cool!"

Life wasn't fair. Someone like Fonzie, who grew up not knowing either of his parents and with a harder childhood than Chachi could imagine, mastered the 'Fonzarelli Power' at an early age. Meanwhile, Chachi lived with his mom in a run-down apartment. He looked up to Fonzie as the only male role model he had. Fonzie could teach him anything he needed to know because Fonzie was - well, Fonzie was Fonzie. He turned on jukeboxes by hitting them in the perfect spot. He snapped his fingers and girls ran to him.

What Chachi didn't understand was how he could be related to someone like Fonzie and be such a geek himself.

By the time Chachi turned twelve, things had gotten a little better. He grew a few inches (only enough for him to notice, apparently. Everyone else thought he was the same height), which meant he was allowed to play basketball with his friends and a few more girls agreed to date him. He regained his confidence-

-Until Mary Kay Johnson turned him down.

Mary Kay Johnson was Chachi's first love. She definitely was not the prettiest girl in school; her arms and torso reminded Chachi of a wrestler the first time he saw them. But she did have beautiful brown eyes and a sweet smile. She said yes when Chachi asked her out in the third grade, then again when he tried in fourth grade, and finally, Chachi and Mary found themselves hanging out on Saturday nights whenever they couldn't find other dates. Over time, Chachi found his feelings toward Mary getting stronger with every date they went on.

Twelve year old Chachi had everything planned: He was going to ask Mary Kay Johnson to the dance their school was holding on Valentine's Day. While they danced together under a red spotlight, he would ask her to go steady with him. She would say yes and they would spend the rest of the night holding each other close until Chachi took her home, where they would share a goodnight kiss on her front porch. By the end of the night, he would have his first real girlfriend.

Mary had other plans. When Chachi cornered her in the hallway, leaning suavely against a locker while Mary watched him in surprise, he completed step one of his perfect Valentine's Day: Asking Mary to the dance.

"You're a sweet guy, Chachi," Mary told him, chewing on her bottom lip. "The thing is…I can't go with you. I promised Bobby I'd go with him."

Chachi slumped into Fonzie's garage that afternoon, looking like he'd lost his best friend. It didn't take a lot of prying to get the story out of him about Mary and the dance he no longer planned on attending. Fonzie grabbed his cousin's arm, pulling him toward the building's exit.

"Where are we going?" Chachi whined. "I'm too depressed to go anywhere."

"You think I'm going to let you sit around and wallow on Valentine's Day?" Fonzie asked, not waiting for an answer. "Look, Chach, all you need is a little bit of practice with girls, that's all. What you need is a plan!"

"A plan? What kind of plan?"

"A plan where you don't ask the girl out right off the bat," Fonzie explained. "You talk to her first, sweep her off her feet, then make your move. I even have the perfect girl for you to try it out on!"

"Oh yeah?" Chachi demanded, rolling his eyes. "If there's a girl who doesn't have a date on Valentine's Day, she must not be much of a looker."

Fonzie stopped dead in his tracks, using one hand to press Chachi against the wall. His hand, already balled into a fist, nearly hit the younger boy's face before Fonzie reminded himself to remain calm.

"Don't you ever talk about Shortcake that way again, do you understand me?"

Chachi knew better than to say anything. He stayed silent while Fonzie, putting a helmet on as he prepared to ride his motorcycle, explained Shortcake was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, the couple Fonzie lived with. Of course Chachi had met the Cunningham's before along with their son, Richie. They seemed like nice enough people, but Chachi had his doubts about Joanie as he sat behind Fonzie on the bike, heading for the Cunningham's house. Fonzie claimed Joanie didn't have a date because she chose to stay home and spend Valentine's Day with her parents. Chachi had a feeling he was about to meet some hideous girl who no one would ever dream of asking out.

His mind changed once he and Fonzie let themselves in through the back door.

Standing alone in the kitchen with her back facing the boys, Joanie Cunningham was in the middle of baking. A large blue bowl sat on the counter with a gray pan beside it. Joanie had one hand on a spoon, the other holding the bowl steady as she stirred whatever the contents were. She didn't look up until Fonzie slammed the door, announcing his and Chachi's entrance.

"Fonzie!" she cried, smiling brightly. "None of us expected to see you tonight! We thought you'd be on a date."

"I wanted to drop in and wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day before leaving!" Fonzie lied, pushing open the kitchen door so he could glance into the living room. "Where are Mr. and Mrs. C?"

"They went down to the hardware store for a special surprise Dad set up for Mom," Joanie replied. "They should be back soon. While we wait though, would you mind telling me who your friend is?"

Heading back into the kitchen, Fonzie nearly had a laughing fit when he saw what was going on. Joanie, with her hair messed up and apron covering her dress and a smudge of dough on her cheek, was nervously allowing Chachi to rest his head on her shoulder. Fonzie was used to Chachi doing that whenever he wanted to look cute; Joanie wasn't. Her expression suggested she was anything but calm.

"I see you two have met!" Fonzie said, pulling his cousin off the youngest Cunningham. "Shortcake, this is my cousin, Chachi. Chachi, this is Shortcake."

"Actually, my name is Joanie," Joanie corrected. "It's nice to meet you, Chachi. I'm sorry to cut this short, guys, but I really need to get back to-,"

"What are you baking?"

Chachi jumped to Joanie's side, leaning over to peer into the blue bowl. Joanie glanced at Fonzie, silently asking him what was wrong with Chachi.

"They're just cookies," she explained. "I'm going to cut them into hearts then cover them with red icing."

"Heart-shaped cookies, huh?" Chachi asked, picking up the cookie-cutter lying on the counter. "I bet there are a lot of people who would buy these if you tried selling them. At ten cents a cookie, you'd have a dollar after selling ten of them!"

He raised his eyebrows suggestively, smiling at Joanie.

"What do you say we go into business together?" he suggested. "You bake, I sell, and in whatever time we have left over…" His voice trailed off. "Wah, Wah, Wah!"

"I have a better idea," Joanie said. "How about I bake, you leave my house, and we all enjoy the rest the night?"

And with that, the ballad of Joanie and Chachi began. It wasn't a ballad anyone could guess the tune of because no one had any idea what was going to happen the next time the two teens met. Chachi took Fonzie's advice and made sure he always had small talk to make with Joanie, normally by trying to sell her a new product. For Chachi, it was love at first sight. For Joanie, it was avoidance of Chachi's love at first sight.

The strange melody played on through the day Chachi announced a Hollywood talent scout was after Fonzie. Fifteen year old Joanie could hardly believe it when Richie pushed her toward Chachi, forcing the two of them to stand face-to-face. Or at least it would have been face-to-face if Chachi hadn't been several inches shorter.

"It's your little boyfriend!" Richie had the indecency to proclaim.

Joanie knew the truth: Chachi never EVER would be her 'little boyfriend'. Fonzie was slowly molding his cousin in his image. Chachi, despite his height, managed to get more girls as time went by, which, of course, gave him more confidence. It seemed like the more girls he dated, the braver he became when making a move on Joanie. The only difference between Joanie and the other girls was that she wasn't dumb enough to fall for Chachi's tricks.

After the Hollywood trip, Joanie found Chachi everywhere she looked. If he wasn't pestering her, he was at Inspiration Point with two, sometimes even three, girls hanging off his arms. When she went to Arnold's, Chachi sat on the stage, playing his drums in the same band Richie was in. Somehow, Chachi even became friends with Richie, Laurie Beth, Ralph, and Potsie, who were four college students who shouldn't even have given Chachi the time of day! It annoyed Joanie to know Chachi was friends with the people she should have been friends with. Richie was her brother, not Chachi's. If anyone still in high school was allowed to pal around with them, it was her right, not Chachi's!

On the other hand, at least having Chachi waste his time with Richie gave Joanie a chance to date other guys without dealing with her 'little boyfriend'. And yet, Chachi still found a way to weasel his way into her life.

Chachi's grades fell in school. Who was asked to tutor him? Joanie, of course. Her grades were high enough she didn't mind taking a few nights off to help out another student, but Chachi wasn't a normal classmate. He tried hitting on her the moment her parents left them alone to study, tricked her into giving him the answers to his test, and nearly got both of them suspended from school.

Halloween night, Joanie dressed up as Snow White. Who did Chachi dress up as? Prince Charming - complete with bending down on one knee and trying, once again, to make a move.

Without being asked, Chachi helped carry groceries into the Cunningham's house. Joanie knew she could do the job herself; she even tried convincing Chachi to leave and let her take care of it. He smiled at her, said he didn't mind helping, and left with money from Joanie's father burning a hole in his pocket.

Joanie planned a date with a boy who owned a car. Did she get to leave the house in peace to enjoy her evening? Yes - but only after Chachi stopped by to tell her exactly what he thought of the guy. Not that Joanie took his advice to heart, but still. It wasn't any of his business in the first place who she decided to go out with.

When Richie went through his 'I-need-to-be-cool-and-buy-a-motorcycle' phase, Chachi sat next to Joanie as everyone waited to find out whether Richie would come out of his coma. Chachi didn't say a word that time - no asking Joanie out or calling her Blue Eyes. He simply sat on the couch, sending Joanie a sympathetic look every once in awhile. For a reason she couldn't explain, that look was exactly what she needed to keep from crying.

On Valentine's Day, when Joanie felt miserable because she had no special valentine, Chachi sent her a card.

Another year went by. Joanie celebrated her sixteenth birthday and still didn't give Chachi the time of day. Chachi was still around that year, but most of his time was spent doing things other than following Joanie around like a lost puppy. They didn't start spending time together again until Joanie was seventeen.

Joanie and Chachi were put in charge of selling tickets for The Rainmaker, the play starring Mrs. C and Fonzie. Chachi sold out of his first and showed Joanie how he'd done it. Then, on the night of the actual play, the two of them ended up sitting side-by-side. It wasn't as bad as Joanie thought it would be; Chachi couldn't proceed making moves on her since the room had to remain silent. She thought she was safe for the evening - until she sat next to him at her house and he opened a bag of chips, allowing the contents to fly across the room. She was picking them up when Chachi grabbed her hands, pulled her toward the door, and asked if she would like to perform the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. At least he almost made it a full night without trying anything.

He had his chance again during the Burlesque show, when Joanie found herself seated next to Chachi again. She took her chances that night - she placed her hand on his knee. It only lingered for two seconds before she realized her mistake and pulled away, but it was too late. As she and Chachi climbed to their feet to head backstage and fill in for the missing performers, Chachi gently touched her back. She even agreed to perform a skit with him, one where he got to tip her over as though they were going to kiss. There was nothing wrong with acting like she liked him as long as her feelings were fake…right?

The little smut-brain told Fonzie and Richie about Joanie trying out for the modeling career. Like she was going to stay after finding out the photos were going to be taken in the nude! Chachi claimed only to have told because he cared about Joanie. She had a feeling he only did it to save his own butt.

Joanie never realized how possessive she was of Chachi until she overheard her girlfriends talking in the school hallway. After hearing the words, "Hunk," and "I heard he's finally giving up on the girl he's been pursuing for years,", she ran over, eager to join in with the gossip.

"Who are you talking about?" she asked, smiling brightly. "Is there a new guy? What does he look like?"

"He's super cute, Joans," one of her friends replied, staring dreamily into space. "I'm sure you would love him!"

"Oh, yeah?" Joanie couldn't wait to find out the details. "Who is he?"

"His name," one of the other girls said, "Is Chachi!"

Feeling her entire body freeze, Joanie glanced from one star struck face to the next, wondering if there was any possible way she'd misunderstood. Or maybe there was another Chachi, some guy she had never met before…

"Chachi?" she asked, forcing a smile on her face. "You're not talking about Chachi Arcola, are you? Fonzie's cousin Chachi?"

"That's the one!" her friends agreed, each nodding in turn.

"I'm telling you, Joans," the first spoke again, slipping an arm around Joanie's shoulders. "If Chachi ever asks me out, I'll say yes in a heartbeat!"

Joanie didn't like Chachi. He was just that annoying little boy she met in her kitchen one Valentine's Day and hadn't been able to shake off. He was free to date any girl he wanted, which he had done plenty of times over the years. She had never been jealous before; why start not? Why did it matter if Chachi dated some girl she didn't know or one of her friends? It didn't matter who the girl was.

Joanie did not like Chachi.

* * *

Arnold's was empty except for two booths: one where Richie, Ralph, and Potsie sat, another filled with Joanie and a few of her friends. Chachi knew exactly which table to wait on first: the one where Richie and his friends were. That way, he could breeze past Joanie, pretend he had no idea she was there, and make sure she knew he was one of the employees on shift.

His plan worked perfectly. Chachi left the kitchen, brushed past Joanie's table without glancing at the inhabitants, and headed straight to Richie. By the time he turned around again, acting like he was going back to the kitchen, he saw a head glance away quickly.

Joanie had been watching him. She tried to act like she hadn't, staring at the girl beside her like she was entranced by the words coming from her mouth, but Chachi could see the blush on her cheeks. He smiled to himself. Maybe today would be his lucky day.

"Hey, Blue Eyes!" he cried, acting as though he just noticed Joanie was there.

Her friends hid their grins by picking up their malts, waiting to see what was about to happen. Joanie didn't say a word. She did look up at Chachi though - which was a good enough excuse for him to continue talking.

"Oh, by the way…You know that I'm an executive now? And you know what that means?" He pressed on, not giving Joanie a chance to answer. "It means I don't have any more time for small talk. So, this is your last chance."

The pencil in his hand pointed straight at Joanie. He allowed his eyes to lock with hers. He had asked her out at least a million times before, but never with the promise it wouldn't happen again. He had to make this one count.

"Are you going to go out with me?"

A short silence fell over the table. Joanie's friends stared at the youngest Cunningham, their eyes wide. Chachi held his breath. Joanie blinked thoughtfully.

And then, the most amazing thing that had ever happened in the universe occurred:

"Maybe."

Already expecting a 'No,', Chachi lowered himself until he was eye-level with Joanie. He barely noticed the grin she sent toward her friends or the way she smiled at him as he spoke. His brain was slow sometimes.

"I'm going to tell you something," he declared sternly. "One day you're going to turn me down one time too many and-,"

The rest of his sentence became lodged in his throat. Chachi, still at Joanie's height, finally took in the expression on her face. Wait a second…Why couldn't he remember hearing her rejection?

"Maybe?" he repeated slowly.

Not even opening her mouth to reply, Joanie nodded. Maybe she felt too shocked by her own answer to speak; maybe she was afraid she would end up laughing at Chachi's reaction. Whatever her reasoning, she kept her lips shut as comprehension slowly dawned on Chachi.

"You didn't say no!" he exclaimed as though he couldn't believe it.

"I said maybe," Joanie confirmed.

Chachi was on his feet, both arms high in the air.

"Al, guess what?" he called, running toward the kitchen. "I got a maybe!"

Their ballad that started so many years ago began a new verse, a happy, peppier one. Chachi and Joanie were finally together. Like any normal couple, they had their ups and downs. But in the end, they worked out any problem they came across because having each other was better than being alone. Their relationship lasted for years - they even planned on eloping once. There was no doubt about it in anyone's minds: Joanie loved Chachi.

Even when Joanie broke up with Chachi because she felt she didn't have time for him anymore, she knew her feelings were too strong to turn off. She had been with him for so many years. Through the years of him chasing after her, into the awkward period of their first date, when they started the band together, and after breaking up, they couldn't help from staying friends. They were too perfect for each other for anything to ever truly pull them apart.

Their ballad played on for what they both hoped would last an eternity.

* * *

Chachi sat on the couch in what used to be the Cunningham house. Mr. and Mrs. C were buried in the nearest cemetery, each living to see not only the birth of Richie, Jr., but also Arthur Arcola, Joanie and Chachi's son, whom they decided to name after Fonzie. Now, Arthur and his sister, Mary (short for Mrs. C's first name, Marion) were grown and had children of their own. They came to see Chachi often, but he was getting older and could no longer keep up with his grandchildren.

Today, everyone was at the house Joanie and Richie called home during their childhood, gathering belongings they wanted to keep and throwing away the ones they didn't need. To Chachi, it felt almost painful to be in the house, knowing Mr. C wasn't going to threaten him about treating Joanie right or Mrs. C wouldn't come bursting out of the kitchen with a hot plate of food, insisting he eat something before it got cold. This place felt like his second home. He'd certainly spent enough time within its walls between hanging out with Fonzie, who once lived in the upstairs loft, and dating Joanie. Why did he suddenly feel out of place?

"Chach?"

A lady with wrinkly skin and short gray hair approached the couch. Most people would probably call her nothing more than an old, shivered up person, but Chachi had never seen anyone more beautiful. He reached for her hand as she sat down beside him, leaning over to kiss her right away.

"Hi, Blue Eyes," he greeted her. "I was just, you know…taking a break."

Instead of getting mad at him, Joanie glanced around the room. Most of the personal belongs were already packed away, leaving nothing but bare walls in their place. The couch was one of the last pieces of furniture left.

"Do you remember the first time we sat on this couch?" Joanie asked softly.

"Of course!" Chachi replied, slipping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "I was only twelve years old!"

"Time sure has flown, hasn't it?"

Chachi wasn't sure how to answer that. Yes, time had flown. He was no longer the little boy who went to Fonzie for girl advice and received an answer that led him straight to the girl sitting beside him. Joanie was no longer the little girl who sat at home on Valentine's Day baking heart-shaped cookies. They had grown, both in age and wisdom. Sometimes, it was hard remembering their old selves.

As hard as it was to remember the little boy he had once been, Chachi would always remember the younger Joanie, the one who shot him down every chance she had but somehow had him crawling back time and time again. She was the girl he saw smiling at him today - because, he realized with a jolt of surprise, they were exactly the same girl.

"Happy days," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" Joanie asked, eyeing her husband suspiciously.

"Nothing," Chachi explained, shaking his head. "All I said was you've given me the happiest days of my life, including the one when I met you."

Joanie smiled at Chachi, kissed him sweetly, then nuzzled into his shoulder, falling asleep with her head on his chest. Chachi held her close, resting his head on top of hers, matching her breathing pattern as his eyes slowly drifted shut.

Finally, the ballad of Joanie and Chachi played its last note.

* * *

Hi everyone! I know I've never written for Happy Days before, but lately I've become obsessed with the show, especially the relationship between Joanie and Chachi. Not even kidding you - I think I'm in love with Chachi! He's my favorite character - even if some people think the show 'jumped the shark' with the season he came on the show.

So, review if you love it, review if you hate it. Just review so I know your thoughts! Love ya!


End file.
